ex-AA Gp-35's

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chapmaja
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ex-AA Gp-35's

Unread post by chapmaja »

I have a question (from some posts on the Facebook Group), regarding the AA GP-35's.

#385, currently in the Owosso deadline correct?

#386 - scrapped

#387 - scrapped

#388 - scrapped after the milk truck incident.

#389 - scrapped

#390 - In Service (photo at Osmer May 13th)

#391 - currently in the Owosso deadline correct?

#392 - in service (Facebook photo evidence as late as yesterday).

#393 - in service, special paint scheme

#394 - currently in the Owosso deadline correct?

Are the three OOS / deadline GP-35's repairable or are they now parts sources?

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SD80MAC
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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386, 387, 388, 389: scrapped

390, 392, 393: In service

385, 391, 394: OOS. They recently evaluated these 3 and made a list of what it would take to get them running again. It sounds like 391 has the best chance of returning to service at this point.
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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FYI: the GLC roster is pretty up-to-date on the wiki page as well: http://railroadfan.com/wiki/index.php/G ... es_Central
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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What is the status of 329? I don't recall seeing any pictures of 329 running recently. Wasn't the plan for the GLC to get three or four SD-40-2's? They were supposedly to be renumbers 382-384? The one did get it's new number (382) and was repainted. #329 I have not seen any evidence of recently in operation. Did they ever get a third unit, or a 4th?

These are the units I have seen photographic reports of in operation recently.

390 and 397 SB through Lakeland on 5/20/2020
396 and 392 south of Temple (Between Clare and Cadillac) 5/20/2020
390, 393, 397 SB in Cohactah, on 5/15/2020
392, 395, 397 in Lakeland and Osmer 5/19/2020
392, 397, 382 in Howell on 5/18/2020
398 and 382 Osmer on 5/14/2020
390, 396, 395 at Osmer 5/13/2020
398, 392 at Oakley on 5/12/2020
395, 396 plus 393 and 382 at Rosebush after a meet on 5/7/2020
Never mind on #329, on May 7th it made an appearance at Osmer.
397, 398 in Ithaca on May 6th.
April 29th, 329 and 392 were also in Osmer.


#329 has not yet witness the paint shop on the GLC, so they might be waiting for an opportunity to repaint and possible renumber the unit.
Last edited by chapmaja on Thu May 21, 2020 2:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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chapmaja wrote:What is the status of 329? I don't recall seeing any pictures of 329 running recently. Wasn't the plan for the GLC to get three or four SD-40-2's? They were supposedly to be renumbers 382-384? The one did get it's new number (382) and was repainted. #329 I have not seen any evidence of recently in operation. Did they ever get a third unit, or a 4th?
Was posted in the GLC May 2020 update thread that 329 was running between Cadillac and Clare on Tuesday: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=37158&start=20#p433501
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AARR
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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329 is alive and well
~Z~ wrote:
chapmaja wrote:What is the status of 329? I don't recall seeing any pictures of 329 running recently. Wasn't the plan for the GLC to get three or four SD-40-2's? They were supposedly to be renumbers 382-384? The one did get it's new number (382) and was repainted. #329 I have not seen any evidence of recently in operation. Did they ever get a third unit, or a 4th?
Was posted in the GLC May 2020 update thread that 329 was running between Cadillac and Clare on Tuesday: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=37158&start=20#p433501
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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This brings up another unit question 399. The last photos I can find of this unit at from June, 2019 on RR Picture Archieves. Unless I missed it, 399 does not show up in any trip reports dating back to January. If I had to guess this unit is most likely in Cadillac and has been working the lines north out of town, which seem to get less coverage than the other routes. Can anyone confirm.

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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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I got an update on 399. This unit is also currently OOS in Owosso. Apparently it was the unit involved in a collision with a road grader last year and is undergoing repairs.

https://www.bigrapidsnews.com/local-new ... o-18669425

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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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Question about another ex-TSBY Unit?

In the picture linked below, there is the hulk that was AA #387. It appears to be a second unit behind that.

Somewhere there is a picture which shows ex-Sou unit #2646 (the third of the ex-Sou hi-hoods the TSBY got). I don't recall it looking like that though.

What is the unit behind #387 in this picture?

For the record, #2646 was seen in operation on the Eastern Idaho after the 3 units joined the TSBY.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2406591

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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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chapmaja wrote:Question about another ex-TSBY Unit?

In the picture linked below, there is the hulk that was AA #387. It appears to be a second unit behind that.

Somewhere there is a picture which shows ex-Sou unit #2646 (the third of the ex-Sou hi-hoods the TSBY got). I don't recall it looking like that though.

What is the unit behind #387 in this picture?

For the record, #2646 was seen in operation on the Eastern Idaho after the 3 units joined the TSBY.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2406591
Kind of looks like a RailAmerica paint job.
Possible because HESR was RailAmerica then.

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SD80MAC
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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Definitely an ex Southern GP35 behind 387 in that pic, based on the white stripe. I would have to assume that was the one they used as a parts source. Either way, not a Rail America unit, for sure.
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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Although it looks red above the white stripe in the picture its either black or faded black but not red
SD80MAC wrote:Definitely an ex Southern GP35 behind 387 in that pic, based on the white stripe. I would have to assume that was the one they used as a parts source. Either way, not a Rail America unit, for sure.
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chapmaja
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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Here is an interesting twist on the question about 2646. The picture appears I mentioned appears to be in Southern paint but faded badly. There is another picture I just found, showing only the end of 2646 sitting in the TSBY shop from (supposedly) 1993. The unit has clearly been repainted in NS's paint scheme, but the horsehead on the end is blacked out.

the picture is here, but I don't know if you can see if it you are not a member of the Facebook group.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=23 ... 1802180818

I have also heard that TSBY actually got 4, not three hi-hood GP35's from NS. I know of 2646, 2648, 2681, but cant find a record of the 4th unit. Does anyone know if they did in fact get a 4th unit, and where it went after TSBY?

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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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The 4th unit was rebuilt and sold but I don't know who to
chapmaja wrote:I have also heard that TSBY actually got 4, not three hi-hood GP35's from NS. I know of 2646, 2648, 2681, but cant find a record of the 4th unit. Does anyone know if they did in fact get a 4th unit, and where it went after TSBY?
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chapmaja
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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AARR wrote:The 4th unit was rebuilt and sold but I don't know who to
chapmaja wrote:I have also heard that TSBY actually got 4, not three hi-hood GP35's from NS. I know of 2646, 2648, 2681, but cant find a record of the 4th unit. Does anyone know if they did in fact get a 4th unit, and where it went after TSBY?

Got the answer from trainorders. 2674, which remained in Southern paint, and was likely the unit with 387 in the picture.

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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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A little more digging shows the unit in question as possibly going to PNC. I assume this would be Precision National Corperation, who was a locomotive leaser and remanufacturer until they went bankrupt in 1997 and the assets were sold off, much of it becoming NRE.

I think this information is incorrect. I think 2674 never left the TSBY. Several other reports have it sitting dead with 387 in the woods behind the shops. I wish I knew were the pictures I took way back when are. I remember 387 back there, but don't recall another locomotive. 2674 being back with it would make sense from the pictures. 2646 didn't remain on the line that long, 2681 and 2648 were both operational.

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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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viewtopic.php?f=15&t=11164

The last message I think answers your question.
A number board left from 2674.

chapmaja
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

Unread post by chapmaja »

I was going to ask a question about the Chessie system GP7 and GP9's that found their way to Owosso, but in the course of searching, I may have found at least part of the answer.

TSBY had at least 5 former Chessie System units, GP9's 6515, 6618, 6541, 5967, plus a GP7 5947

Two of these units, 6515 and 618 are witnessed in MMRR lettering, while 5967 appears to have received full MMRR paint job and is later view in Lansing. 618 (former 6618) was pictured at Log Cabin Landing, Mi (A place I've never heard of). Also pictured in the same place that day was supposedly KLSC 85. (Although the snow on the ground doesn't appear consistent).

The two units I can find a future place for are 5947 and 6541. does anyone know what happened to these units?

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SD80MAC
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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None of those Chessie Geeps were TSBY units. They were former Chessie 5967, 6618, 6541 and 6515 and were all owned by Railtex for the Mid Michigan. TSBY performed contract work on them around the time of MMRR’s inception. Eventually 5967 was repainted into MMRR colors and the other 3 were transferred to other Railtex operations. There never was a 5947 on the property to my knowledge.
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Re: ex-AA Gp-35's

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SD80MAC wrote:None of those Chessie Geeps were TSBY units. They were former Chessie 5967, 6618, 6541 and 6515 and were all owned by Railtex for the Mid Michigan. TSBY performed contract work on them around the time of MMRR’s inception. Eventually 5967 was repainted into MMRR colors and the other 3 were transferred to other Railtex operations. There never was a 5947 on the property to my knowledge.
that would make sense. I did see a picture or read something about 5947 being in Owosso.

I also found a couple other units that I had not heard of being in Owosso before.

Chessie System 6439 - pictured with CMGN 8801 after 8801 suffered wreck damage. This was in the Owosso yard coupled to a TSBY black hopper.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2515908

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1411184


MMRR 179

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1591674

Detroit and Mackinaw 4502 (yes, it was lettered D&M).

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1591657

There were other D&M and CMGN units that showed up as well. Additionally, some units like the ex-MIGN units made appearances in Owosso.


Chessie System 5736 (I'm not sure this is correct. I don't recall the two stacks in the background).

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1887279

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